JOINT PUBLIC NOTICE
Clean Water Act404(b)(1) AND 401 Water Quality Application
Introduction. This Joint Public Notice is issued in accordance with provisions of Title 33 CFR Parts 336.1(b)(1)and 337.1, and 40 CFR 121 which establish policy, practices, and procedures to be followed on Federal actions involving the disposal of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States. It also serves as a joint Public Notice for the LEDQ 401 Water Quality Application. The purpose of the proposed project is to construct the Reach F levee as a feature of the Morganza to the Gulf (MTG) Project to reduce the risk of flood damages caused by hurricanes and tropical storms for the communities located within the MTG levee system in accordance with the project described in Section 7002(3) of WRRDA 2014, as updated by the 2021 Engineering and Design Report (EDR). The EDR can be accessed online at the following location: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/About/Projects/Morganza-to-the-Gulf/.
Project Authority. Construction of the Morganza to the Gulf, Louisiana, a hurricane and storm damage reduction project, is authorized by Section 1001 (24) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA 2007), Public Law (PL) 110-114, at a total cost of $886.7 million. In accordance with the Post Authorization Change Report and Revised Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PACR/RPEIS) dated 2013,the project was reauthorized by Section 7002(3) of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA2014).
Location. MTG Reach F levee is located on the west side of the Houma Navigation Canal in Dulac, Louisiana.
Description of Work. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Water Quality Certificate applicant), New Orleans District (CEMVN), or its contractor, proposes to construct an earthen levee to reduce flood risk associated with storm surge and waves, which is increasing due to wetland loss, sea level rise, and subsidence. In the 2013 PACR/RPEIS, Reach F levee was designed a constructible feature. The proposed action would adjust the levee alignment, borrow plan and mitigation plan described in the PACR/RPEIS while still providing the 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) level of hurricane and storm damage risk reduction. The borrow plan was changed from side cast borrow to an upland borrow pit(s) to reduce impacts to wetlands. Execution of the proposed mitigation plan would result in no net loss of significant habitats in accordance with Implementation Guidance for Section 1163 of the include mitigation banks, Corps WRDA of 2016. The proposed mitigation plan would constructed mitigation, and/or a combination of both.
The proposed action is located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana within the overall MTG project system. To minimize impacts to high quality habitats, the existing Non Federal Sponsor (NFS) levee would be degraded and then built upon to avoid increasing environmental impacts and cost. Multiple construction contracts would be utilized to bring the entirety of Reach F up to the 2035 1% AEP elevation of approximately +17 ft National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD). The first contract is expected to bring the northern section of Reach F (Station 2280+28 to Station 2130+00) to a stage one elevation of +15.0 ft NGVD north of the Bayou Grand Caillou Floodgate and transition to an elevation of +15.5 ft midway going south. The second contract is expected to bring the southern section of Reach F (Station 2123+50 to Station 2073+90) to a stage one elevation of +15 ft NGVD. After at least one year of settlement has occurred and all settlement requirements are met, the third construction contract would bring the overall Reach F levee up to an elevation of +17.0 ft NGVD. The base width (levee toe to levee toe) for the northern section of Reach F would be between 450 ft to 650 ft wide and the southern section of Reach F would be between approximately 400 ft to 450 ft wide, with 4:1 flood side slope above the berm, 4:1 protected side slope above the berm, and a crown width of 10 ft for both north and south. The total permanent right of way (ROW) needed for Reach F would be up to 650 ft wide.
Discharges by Others. There are no known discharges of fill material by others at or near the proposed project site.
Coordination. This public notice will be coordinated with the relevant State, Federal and Tribal entities as appropriate.
Properties Adjacent to Disposal Sites. List of adjacent properties is available upon request.
Evaluation Factors. Evaluation includes application of the Section 404(b)(1) guidelines promulgated by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through 40 CFR 230. Despite efforts to avoid, minimize, rectify, and reduce habitat impacts associated with the proposed action, unavoidable impacts to fish and wildlife resources remain. Mitigation would occur within the same geographic boundaries as the impacts: forested impacts would be mitigated within the Barataria Basin, tidal marsh impacts within the Deltaic Plain, and all impacts within the Louisiana coastal zone would be mitigated within that zone. The primary approach would be the purchase of in-kind mitigation bank credits. Should sufficient and cost-effective credits not be available, the Corps has evaluated potential mitigation site construction at the West Terrebonne brackish/saline marsh creation site (170 acres).
Public Involvement. This Joint Public Notice for the 404(b)(1) Evaluation and 401 water quality application will be available for a 30-day public review and comment period beginning February 27, 2026, and ending March 30, 2026. The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public; federal, state, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other interested parties under the Clean Water Act 401 and 404. The 404(b)(1) Evaluation is available online and for download beginning February 27, 2026, at the following weblink: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Public-Notices/
Comments on the 404(b)(1) evaluation must be transmitted by March 30, 2026. Interested parties may express their views on the draft document. All comments postmarked on or before the expiration of the comment period will be considered. Any person who has an interest that may be affected by deposition of excavated or dredged material may request a public hearing. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the comment period of this notice and must clearly set forth the interest that may be affected and the manner in which the identified interest may be affected by the proposed action. You are requested to communicate the information contained in this notice to any parties who may have an interest in the proposed action. Comments on the LEDQ 401 Water Quality application must be transmitted by March 30, 2026. A copy of the application is available for inspection and review at the LDEQ Public Records Center at 602 North Fifth Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The available information can also be accessed electronically on the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) on the LDEQ public website at www.deq.louisiana.gov.
COMMENTS CONCERNING THE 404(b)(1) EVALUATION MAY BE MAILED TO:
Department of the Army
Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District
ATTN: Jason A. Emery (CEMVN-PDS)
7400 Leake Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
Comments may also be submitted by email to mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil
COMMENTS CONCERNING THE 401 APPLICATION: Comments concerning this application can be filed with the Water Permits Division during the public comment period by referencing WQC 251022-01, Agency Interest (AI) 249048 to the following address: Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Water Permits Division
P.O. Box 4313
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313
Attn: Water Quality Certifications
Comments may be submitted by email to DEQ-WaterQualityCertifications@la.gov.
The Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment, FONSI, and supporting documents are available on our site here.